I joined the Army Reserves in 2001 at the age of 17. I found myself in Balad, Iraq from 2004-2005. I walked around Camp Anaconda and parts of Iraq with a camera in one hand and a notebook in the other. These are my scribbles about my experience in Iraq and returning home.

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

6 by 2 equals...

you're screwed no matter what. my six years in the lovely Army are up December 27th! i should be excited and having a party, however...i'm stuck. i have two years in the IRR (individual ready reserve). anyone in the military knows how this is works now. when i joined my recruiter basically told me, those two years mean nothing...i wouldn't have to drill...they are kind of just there. well now those two years are fucking driving me insane. i can either go into the IRR and get harassing phone calls and emails, telling me i better get back into the Reserves or be deployed again. i'd also only have my GI Bill for college, which isn't a lot...i've used it for two years already. i wouldn't be able to use my tuition assistance or loan repayment program. actually i've also been told i wouldn't be able to use my GI Bill. i have no idea if this is true...every time i talk to my retention officer, i'm told something different and leave completely confused. if i decided not to join the reserves again, chances are i'd have to report to some MOB site within a couple months. great...another deployment or great...two more years in the army! or i can avoid all the harassing men and women who call themselves recruiters and reenlist for three years. if i reenlist, i get a 7500 dollar sign on bonus and have money for college. this also means the IRR time vanishes and chances are i'd be deployed again. by the time i'm done i'll be 26 years old with 9 years of the military under my belt (why did i join at 17?). OR...i can go into the IRR for a month or so, and then join the Reserves...if i do this, my "reward" is that i can't be deployed for those last two years. anyway you look at this...i'm going to be in the military for at least two more years...its just figuring out a way to do it and not be deployed again. OR plan 43942...join the Air Force Reserve. i could also collect a bonus of 7500 dollars, get more money for school and the one reason why i'm contemplating this is because if i did get deployed its only for 6 months...and its the fucking Air Force...but its the Air Force. i almost feel as though, i couldn't join...i'm Army. what the fuck is the Air Force going to do for me. but then again...if i happen to get deployed again do i want to be deployed for a year or six months. headache headache headache.

10 Comments:

I hit the same wall you did when my active duty enlistment was up. It was go IRR for 4 years and only live off my GI Bill, no TA no Drill Pay just my GI Bill and whatever else I made working while going to school.

I decided to stay actively in the reserves for 2 years to get the tuition assistance along with the extra money I get for drilling and I am already 16 months into that choice. Now I am hit with another choice to stay or go. But I have been having a debate with myself about the ANG, Stratton is close and I could take a direct commission once I get my nursing license and then they would pay for me to finish my bachelor degree. Or walk away. Its a tough one I have put 6 years of my life into this so should I just walk away this summer or not?

Then I have the same problem with the ANG as you do, you say your Army well I am Coast Guard a sense of pride for what I did has been instilled in me and I feel like I would be selling myself short. While our experiences with the service were different and the realities of where we get deployed are different it still feels like the same internal struggle of what decision to make.

I am leaving it up to my gut feeling and you should try to do the same. No regrets just do you

You do meet the cute girl requirement to join the Air Force;-P I can't give you advice here, I'd put it to tossing of the coin. It factors into how much you love or hate the Army and we can't make that choice for you.